Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Raw milk producer Mark Lopez of Earl Township cleans his cow Rooibos before milking her at his Wholesome Dairy Farms on Wednesday. Of the raw milk warning, Lopez says pasteurized milk also makes some people sick and that isn't being discussed.

Reading Eagle: Tim Leedy | Dr. Mark Reuben, a pediatrician at Reading Pediatrics, said the threat of illness from drinking raw milk is very real.

Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little | Earl Township raw milk producer Mark Lopez, at his Wholesome Dairy Farms with cow Roxy, said a prime source of contamination in all types of milk is unsanitary milking practices that allow manure to get into the liquid. He said pasteurization does not completely negate the potential illness-producing effects of bits of manure.

Pediatricians issue warning on raw milk, which is legal in Pennsylvania

Pour raw milk into a public health discussion and you are bound to get some raw opinions.

"There are certain things that I don't understand why people get into them," Dr. Mark Reuben, a pediatrician with Reading Pediatrics, said, referring to raw milk. "It has been a long time since we have figured out that these things get contaminated."

Reuben spoke after the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday warned that pregnant women and children should not drink raw, unpasteurized milk because it might make them sick. It also said it would support a nationwide ban on the sale of raw milk.

Reuben agreed with the academy's position.

Mark Lopez, an Earl Township dairy farmer and former agricultural veterinarian who sells more than 200 gallons of raw milk each day, said the academy had gone too far.

Pasteurized milk also makes some people sick, he said.

"And we are not even having a conversation about pasteurized milk," he said.

Pennsylvania is one of 30 states that allow the sale of raw milk. Sellers must have a permit and submit their milk to regular testing.

Advocates say raw milk tastes good and provides protection against asthma and lactose intolerance. A recently released 10-year study in Minnesota, though, produced an estimate that 17 percent of the state's residents who drank raw milk got sick.

Raw milk from cows, sheep and goats is a source of pathogens such as listeria, salmonella and E. coli - which can cause serious, even fatal, illness, the academy statement said. The organization contends that the benefits of raw milk "have not been clearly demonstrated in evidence-based studies" and do not outweigh the risks.

Reuben, the pediatrician, said proof of the effectiveness of pasteurization went all the way back to the 19th century, when it was originated by French microbiologist and chemist Louis Pasteur.

The threat of illness is real, according to Reuben.

"There is just a group of people out there who feel that some of these things that we do that are modern, are not good," Reuben said. "The people who don't vaccinate are the ones who go looking for unpasteurized milk."

The pediatricians estimated that 1 percent to 3 percent of dairy products consumed in the U.S. are not pasteurized.

In Pennsylvania, about 150 entities hold permits to produce raw milk, according to state Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Samantha Krepps. Overall, there are more than 7,200 dairy farms.

Krepps said she had not seen the pediatricians' statement. But she described the Pennsylvania raw milk inspection system as thorough.

"The farms get checked twice a year. If there is an incident or a problem, we will stop production at the facility," Krepps said. "We have a check and balance in place here at the Department of Agriculture to make sure the system works."

Sheila Miller, Berks County agricultural coordinator, said she saw no problem with the way Pennsylvania oversees the raw milk industry.

"Certainly there are plenty of farm kids who grew up to be strong, long-lived adults, who drank raw milk," Miller said.

Lopez, the Earl Township raw milk producer, said a prime source of contamination in all types of milk is unsanitary milking practices that allow manure to get into the liquid.

Pasteurization involves heating the milk to destroy harmful microorganisms. But Lopez said the process does not completely negate the potential illness-producing effects of bits of manure.

Hence, he said, some people who drink pasteurized milk still get sick.

He acknowledged that there was truth in the academy's position that raw milk can make people sick.

But, he said, "Any food, if it is contaminated, can get you sick."

(The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.)

Contact Ford Turner: 610-371-5037 or fturner@readingeagle.com.

Ford Turner | Reporter

Ford Turner covers special projects and investigations for the Reading Eagle.